Midnight Shadow
by XxXxDarkVampirexXxX
Summary: When Voldemort finally learns where Harry lives, he's eager to kill his enemy. But when he gets there, he finds that he can't do it. The Dark Lord quickly learns that the teen is far too valuable to kill, because Harry Potter belongs to him. In more ways than one. Minor bashing!AD, RW, GW, HG. Title and summary subject to future change. Slash fic!
1. Chapter 1

**Yo. Well last summer, the inevitable happened-I joined the Dark side. And yes, the cookies were bloody delicious. Anyway, this fic was supposed to be a oneshot, but it started getting too long, so I divided it up into multiple-small, chapters and decided to begin posting it up. Oh, and there will be mentions of abuse. So yeah, here you go.**

**Minor Character Bashing: Dumbledore, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger.**

**Name note: Voldemort=snake face/Tom=human face/Dark Lord=either (depends on context)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters... **

Voldemort was bored. He was seated on his throne in the ball room of Riddle Manor in the town of Little Hangleton. Long, sharp nails scraped over a bald head as he listened to his Outer Circle Death Eaters drone on and on about their latest _accomplishments_. Right, if they could even be called that. He wasn't being told anything he didn't already know or hadn't guessed yet.

Suppressing a yawn, Voldemort absently stroked Nagini's head (the snake was napping on his lap), wishing for some sort of distraction. ...Perhaps he should throw out a Crucio or two, just to stave off his boredom. But before the snake hybrid could raise his wand, there was a sharp knock on the closed doors to the room.

"Enter," he called out, silently thanking Salazar for the more than welcome distraction. He'd even take Wormtail over _this_, and that was really saying something.

The large wooden doors swung open by themselves, revealing one of his Inner Circle Death Eaters, his precious spy, Severus Snape, who approached immediately before bowing cautiously. Voldemort wondered what he was doing here. Because of his position, Severus didn't normally come to him unless called for. It would be too suspicious otherwise.

"I apologize for disturbing you, my Lord," said the expressionless man, "but I have managed to...accomplish the task you last set for me."

If that wasn't such good news, Voldemort would have at least chuckled at Severus' use of the word 'accomplish', especially as he had been inwardly mocking the other Death Eaters for it. But it was obvious that his interest had been caught, judging by how he straightened up in his throne.

"Ssseverus, remian, the ressst of you are disssmisssed." He waited impatiently for the Outer Circle to leave.

The moment the doors closed behind the last Death Eater, two things happened; Severus removed his mask, becoming more relaxed as he did so, and Voldemort dropped his glamour. In the place of the pale snake-faced male, sat a much younger man of twenty five with a head of silky black hair. He was still pale, but not as much as before, with nicely chiselled features; high cheek bones, and an aquiline nose. Though his eyes were still crimson, they were no longer slits. He looked the personification of a young aristocrat. Oh, how he had missed his old appearance of Tom, as much as he disliked the name.

"You have managed it, Severus?" he asked, forked tongue gone now that he had dropped the glamour.

"Yes, my Lord," replied Severus Snape. "The old man has finally given me Potter's address. Four Privet Drive of Little Whinging, Surrey."

Tom's eyes flashed in satisfaction. "And the wards?"

"As you used Potter's blood in the resurrection ceremony, you can easily get passed the Blood Wards. However you must go in without the intention of harming him. If not, the other wards, the ones placed by Dumbledore will detect you, and you will be expelled from the property, notifying the old man as well."

"Will I be able to use magic?"

"As long as you do not use dark magic, no one will be the wiser."

Tom smirked, more than a little pleased. "Good work, Severus. Now, who will be on guard tonight?"

The younger, but older looking man inclined his head at the praise, but frowned at the question. "No one, my Lord. Dumbledore has forbidden the Order from resuming the guard. We are not sure why."

Crimson iris' widened. "The boy is _always_ unguarded?"

"No. There are some who did not listen to him. They watch over Potter when they can- which is not often enough, and the old man is unaware of this as far as I know at the moment."

Now a frown appeared on Tom's face too. "Which members are these that are defying the Light's leader?"

"The oldest two Weasley boys, along with those twins, and the Wolf. However, the oldest two Weasley children both work out of the country and can never stay for long, the twins are spending quite a bit of time in Diagon Alley with the shop they are planning on opening soon, and the Wolf is constantly being sent on pointless missions for recruiting the werewolves."

Tom was definitely surprised by this. He did not picture any of those people to go against Albus Dumbledore's orders. "Why them?" he questioned, beginning to stroke Nagini once more when she stirred in his lap.

"Because it seems that at the moment, they are the only ones who seem to care for the boy, and vice versa. No one is in contact with him though. He had the twins watch his owl for the summer for some reason or another."

"...Explain."

"Yes, my Lord." Severus fell into thought for a moment, before continuing. "It seems that the rest of the Order has forgotten about Black. He only just passed, but they behave as if he never existed in the first place. The only time he is spoken of, is when Dumbledore brings it up. No one else seems to care that Potter will be mourning him, not to mention the fact he ended up possessed by you, which, no offence my Lord, likely was not a very pleasant experience.

The Dark Lord nodded once and waved his hand absently, signalling that Severus was not about to be punished for his bold words. "I see." He sighed softly. "What of the boy's friends? The youngest Weasley boy and the Granger girl?"

The dark eyed man frowned once more, looking almost disconcerted. "I am not sure. They are not in contact with Potter at all. In fact, they seem to be upset with him. Both them and the Weasley chit. Perhaps they had an argument when they last saw one another."

Tom ran long fingers through his hair, suddenly feeling a twinge of fear that did not belong to him at all, along with anger, sadness, and a touch of resignation. But he barely had the chance to identify these foreign emotions before they vanished abruptly, leaving him with his own satisfaction. "Very well. I will be going to the boy tonight. Make sure no guard is placed, just in case."

"Of course, my Lord." Seeing the dismissal, Severus bowed, replaced his mask, and departed, leaving Tom Riddle alone with his still sleeping snake.

Falling into thought, Tom tried to figure out what to do. He knew the boy's address now, which was all fine and well, but he could not enter with the objective of killing Potter off. It was the fault of Dumbledore's blasted wards, he knew. He would have to get the boy out of his home and bring him to the manor before he dealt with him. Perhaps his intention could be recon then.

Yes, if he were going with reconnaissance in mind, it meant he wasn't intent on harming anyone. Surely the wards would allow him in without notifying anyone then?

Pleased with that plan, Tom smirked and got to work...

**And that's it for now. Updates will likely be slow-I'm warning you now. I'm open to suggestions so feel free to comment. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo. Wow, I don't even know what to say. I've never received this kind of response so quickly, and I'm amazed. I was crazy nervous, so I'm really glad you guys are interested in the fic. Anyway, this chapter's unfortunately, shorter than the last, but hopefully it'll be alright. There will be mentions of abuse. So yeah, here you go.**

**Minor Character Bashing: Dumbledore, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger.**

**Name note: Voldemort=snake face/Tom=human face/Dark Lord=either (depends on context)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...**

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><p>The clock had just struck midnight when Voldemort Apparated directly into Harry Potter's bedroom. Though he had not known exactly where to go, he ended up focusing on the teenager's magic via their link. It was an estimation at most, but it had worked, bringing him right where he needed to be.<p>

Taking a moment to get his bearings, Voldemort looked around what seemed to be a very small room. There wasn't much in it at all from what he could see with the moonlight shining through the barred window. Wait, the _barred_ window? Well that wasn't normal, but the shadows playing around the room made it look much like a prison cell. He looked at the rickety wardrobe, wondering why no one had bothered to fix it if it was broken, which it very clearly was. There was a bed, placed right up against the back wall, next to the window, allowing the light from the half moon to stream directly down onto it. This too was broken, the mattress small and hard looking with springs sticking out in various places. And there was Potter.

He was asleep on his side, an arm curled around his ribs, with what seemed to be a pained grimace on his face. Voldemort pushed him onto his back, but he didn't stay that way. Immediately, Potter groaned, the look of pain increasing, and he rolled back onto his side, remaining asleep as he did so.

The man frowned when he caught sight of something dark on the sheets where Potter's back had been. He reached down to touch it, curious to know what it was, as it hadn't been there a moment before. Bringing the dark substance covered finger up, he immediately caught the scent of blood. A forked tongue came out to taste it, and just as he had thought, it _was_ blood.

Voldemort, more curious now, pulled out his wand and banished Potter's shirt. He stared, and stared, then stared some more. The amount of bruises on his chest and torso was amazingly disturbing, along with how you could not only see and count, but probably actually grip each and every one of his ribs.

He then shifted over to see Potter's back, and ended up staring once more. The teen had very clearly been whipped. And recently too, judging by the swollen and bleeding flesh. It must have occurred not long ago. Voldemort glanced over at the door, where he saw many locks; they went from the ceiling, all the way down to the floor, and could not be opened from the inside.

Now Voldemort was able to understand where those sudden emotions had come from while he'd been speaking to Severus. Potter must have been suffering a beating. He wondered how it had happened. Neighbourhood children? Or, perhaps his very own relatives? He shook his head. What did it matter? The boy was to die soon anyway.

The man waved his wand over the teen, then frowned. Cursing harshly as he received his results, he vanished on the spot. Harry Potter was left to live another day. But he would be back tomorrow, oh yes, he would be back...

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><p>"You summoned me, my Lord?" Severus was back, bowing before the Dark Lord in the ball room of Riddle Manor. It had barely been an hour since he had left the place.<p>

"Yes, Severus," said Tom, frowning and fingering his wand. "What do you know of the tracer placed on Harry?" He didn't even realize that he had begun calling his enemy by his first name.

While Tom didn't notice, Severus certainly did, but a raised brow was the only sign of this. "Tracer, my Lord? I trust you are not speaking of the one in his wand?"

If Severus were anyone else, Tom would have considered that to be a stupid question. "Indeed."

Onyx eyes flickered in uncertainty. "He actually did it..." he muttered.

"Severus?"

"Dumbledore, my Lord. He has not been too pleased with Potter lately, though he will not say why, and he has been hinting at placing a tracer on the boy himself to ensure he does not go somewhere Dumbledore does not wish him to, namely away from the Dursleys. He seems to think Potter will run away, though I admit I do not know why."

Tom listened to this silently, wondering what Harry had done to upset the old coot to such an extent. "I did not recognize the tracer," he said instead. "Do you know how to remove it?"

The other man shook his head once, signalling that he didn't. "It is of Dumbledore's designing, but I can attempt to find out how."

Tom inclined his head. "As quick as you can, Severus. Dismissed."

Bowing, Severus left the room, and the Dark Lord was once more alone with his thoughts. So Dumbledore thought Harry wanted to run away from home... Was it because of the abuse? He knew what he had seen wasn't simply a one time occurrence. The many scars laying beneath the fresh injuries showed that much. But then-

**"Why are you so agitated, Master?"**

If he weren't a Dark Lord, Tom would have jumped at the sudden voice of his familiar. **"I'm not agitated, Nagini."**

**"Yes you are. Now tell me what's wrong."**

**"Nagini."**

**"Master."**

He could never win against the snake, and often found himself glad that she wasn't human. Tom sighed and explained everything that had happened that day, from his conversations with Severus, to the foreign emotions that he had felt, and what he had seen of Harry and his bedroom.

**"Harry? Since when did you start calling my dinner by his first name?"**

**"Nagini."**

The snake sighed as much as a snake could. **"Do you truly still wish to kill him, Master?"**

**"Of course I do!" **exclaimed Tom, surprised his familiar would even ask such an absurd question.

**"Are you sure? Because it doesn't really seem like it to me." **Nagini began slithering out of the room. **"Think about it carefully, Tom."**

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><p><strong>And that's that for the moment. I'm still open to ideas anyone may have, and thank you to all readers so far. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Yo. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this so far, and I hope that continues. Thank you to all readers to far. Anyway, this chapter is-one again-shorter than the last. There will be mentions of abuse. So yeah, here you go.**

**Minor Character Bashing: Dumbledore, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger.**

**Name note: Voldemort=snake face/Tom=human face/Dark Lord=either (depends on context)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...**

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><p>The moment Harry's repaired clock struck midnight, Voldemort appeared in the middle of the small bedroom. Harry was, once again, asleep in bed. Voldemort stared. He seemed oddly...peaceful. The man didn't think he'd ever seen Harry like that before.<p>

Pulling out his wand, he pressed the tip to Harry's heart. The moment his wand touched the teen's chest, Avada Kedavra green eyes flashed open. Voldemort didn't move, but heard the teen's breath catch in his throat.

"V-Voldemort!?"

"...Harry."

Harry frowned, presumably because he had called him by his first name, which was rare in itself. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

Voldemort raised a non-existent brow. "Any why do you asssume that?"

"I'm not dead."

The man couldn't help but chuckle. "Yesss, Harry, you are merely dreaming," he lied, lowering his wand.

Nodding, Harry closed his eyes. "I kinda wish this wasn't a dream though," he said softly.

"And why isss that?"

"Because you'd kill me, of course."

There was a pause before Voldemort was able to answer. "You wish to die, Harry?"

Cracking an eye open, Harry gave him a wry smile. "It would be better than the way I'm living right now." That eye fell closed once more. Shifting on his bed, he grimaced.

"You're in pain, Harry," stated Voldemort, still simply staring and wondering why exactly he had lowered his wand.

There was that smile again. "You'd be too if you lived in this shithole."

Voldemort was quick to realize that hearing Harry Potter curse was a very strange thing. "What have your relativesss been doing to you?" he asked instead.

Harry chuckled dryly. "What _haven't_ they been doing?" he retorted harshly. "Dunno why Dumbledore thinks I'm so safe here," he added in a mutter. "A bitter aunt who enjoys throwing heavy objects at my head. A cousin whose friends enjoy hunting and beating me. A paedophile for an uncle who enjoys beating and whipping, and touching me in places an uncle should never be touching their nephew in. Yeah, I'm soooo safe here..."

Voldemort continued staring, and didn't realize he'd been doing so until he saw that Harry had fallen back asleep. He raised his wand again, slowly, and once more pressed it directly against the teen's heart. This time, Harry didn't wake. Performing a complex spell that detected foreign magic on a person, the man frowned when the results came up.

Cursing under his breath, Voldemort vanished into the night...

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><p>Tom was pacing his study, impatiently waiting for the arrival of his spy. The spell he had used on Harry the night before had had some surprising results, and he needed to ask Severus about some of them. Annoyed, he was about to send a jolt of pain through the Mark, like he usually did when his followers took too long (Severus had a bit of leeway because of his position), when the dour man rushed into the room, looking very nearly breathless.<p>

Severus bowed immediately. "I apologize, my Lord. Dumbledore was holding an Order meeting, and there was no way for me to get away."

"Anything of interest?"

"They're planning some sort of...party," replied Severus, looking a tad disgusted.

Momentarily distracted, Tom blinked. "...A party?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes, to raise morale or something to that effect."

Tom actually had no idea what to say to that. They were in the middle of a war, and the Light's leader was planning a party? The Dark Lord didn't know whether to be insulted or not. Perhaps he should plan a raid for the same day as this...party. Yes, that would teach the fools not to underestimate him, because that was clearly what they were doing.

Pushing that thought behind him, he focused on why he had called Severus in the first place. "I found that Harry has been under many Compulsion Charms and I wish to know why."

Severus didn't even try to hide his confusion. "Compulsions...? Yes, that _would_ make sense. I wonder why I had not thought of that before."

Tom raised a questioning brow. "Do you wish to clarify?"

"Compulsions run off after a few months and must be recast if you wish for the...victim to remain under its influence. If they are not recast immediately after they begin to wear off, the victim's behaviour slowly begins to change-to revert to normal. I have noticed that this seems to be happening to Potter."

The Dark Lord fell into thought for a moment. "Do you know what the compulsions were making him do?"

"Only speculation, my Lord. His attitude changes against the Slytherins and myself, towards his friends Weasley and Granger, and towards Dumbledore as well."

"And how does his behaviour change?"

"He does not seem to like his so called friends very much, mainly Weasley, Granger, and that little Weasley chit. He always seems to be closer to Longbottom and Lovegood-a Ravenclaw a year younger than him. The way he handles the Slytherins is different too. It seems as if he is merely pretending to be affronted by their insults. He has this little...smirk on his face, faint but there. As for Dumbledore, Potter, to be frank, seems to despise him. His entire demeanour seems to become almost cold during these times. Yet a few days later, he reverts to the way he has always been- that annoying Gryffindor who is just like his father."

Tom listened to this silently, taking in all the information. Was Harry as sympathetic towards the Light as he had always thought? Or was there a chance he could go Dark? If Severus was telling the truth, and the Dark Lord knew he was, then there seemed to be hints of the teen slowly becoming darker. Tom would have no reason to kill him if he was dark or even neutral.

The crimson eyed man inclined his head in silent thanks. "You are dismissed, Severus."

"My Lord." The Potions Master bowed before departing.

Tom watched him go, then lost himself in his thoughts once more. He had discovered more than just Dumbledore's Compulsion Charms, and yes, he knew exactly who had cast them. There had been more foreign magic on-in Harry. His. Not only was it strong, but practically _oozing_ darkness. Tom wondered how he had never felt it before while he had been around the teen. Then again, because it was his own magic it likely didn't stand out much to him.

The question however, was, why exactly did Harry have his, Tom's magic in him? Did it have something to do with that lightning bolt scar? With no one else having survived the killing curse before, it was hard to tell.

He would have to speak to Harry again...

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><p><strong>And that's it for now. I only have enough already down for one more chapter, so I definitely need to get to work on the rest of it. I'm open to suggestions and ideas anyone may have. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo. This update comes to you before breakfast and in the middle of KH 2.5 Final Mix, so if you happen to notice any glaring mistakes, feel free to point them out. As always, thank you to all readers to far, plus any reviewers.**

**Minor Character Bashing: Dumbledore, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger.**

**Name note: Voldemort=snake face/Tom=human face/Dark Lord=either (depends on context)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...**

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><p>On the stroke of midnight, Voldemort once again appeared in the bedroom of Harry Potter. The teen was asleep again, this time without a shirt, though that was likely because of how incredibly hot it seemed to be in Surrey at the moment.<p>

Harry being asleep was a problem. He wanted to talk to him, but obviously could not do so while he was off in dream land. Then again... Harry had thought he had been dreaming the night before, while they had been talking, so he could always wake him up and claim he was still dreaming.

Crimson slits going from the teen's bruised chest to his face, he poked him once with one of his sharp nails. Harry awakened immediately, hand going under his pillow as if he were searching for something, probably his wand. He came out empty though.

"Forgot my wand's locked up..." he muttered. Rubbing his eyes, Harry turned his sleep clouded face up at the man in the room. "Voldemort?"

"Hello, Harry."

The teen reached around for his glasses, and when he found them, slipped them onto his face. "Back for another dream visit?" He stretched and then winced, likely because of the injuries he seemed to have. Then he froze. "Wait, did you just _poke_ me?"

"Yesss. How elssse were you to know that I wasss here?"

Harry just stared incredulously. "You could've just, I dunno, called out my name or something. I'm a pretty light sleeper you know. Have to be when you're living here," he ended with a mutter, though the Dark Lord heard him loud and clear. "Then again, I have no idea how it's possible to be woken up in a _dream_."

"You do not ssseem frightened to be alone with me, Harry. Why isss that?" questioned the snake-like man after a moment. Most people were terrified in his presence, so why wasn't this teenage boy who had been declared his mortal enemy since before his birth?

"This is just a dream," replied Harry almost casually. "It's not like it's real or anything."

"I sssee." It was probably a good thing that he saw the situation as nothing more than a dream, and Voldemort was not about to correct him any time soon.

"You wouldn't happen to have a Pain Relief potion on you, would you? Oh, but if this is a dream..."

Voldemort regarded the teen carefully before pulling a vial out from under his cloak, already having anticipated this. Handing it over, he stared when Harry shot him a grin and accepted the potion, not even hesitating before drinking it down. "What if I had poisssoned that?" questioned the man afterwards.

Sighing in what was obvious relief, Harry simply shrugged his bare shoulders. "Wouldn't really have mattered now, would it? I'm going to die sooner or later. If not by you or myself, I'm sure old Dumbledore'll take care of it."

A hairless brow was raised. "And why do you asssume that Dumbledore wishesss for your death?"

Laying back down, Harry sighed. "I overheard the Order talking," he replied slowly. "They want us to kill each other."

Sitting down on the edge of Harry's bed, Voldemort watched the teen in well hidden surprise. Harry was in the same room as the Dark Lord himself, and here he was, relaxing in bed, having a non-violent conversation. How...bizarre. "And if you sssurvive?" he wondered.

"They'll send me to Azkaban, because I'll have _killed_ someone." He scoffed. "Stupid really, as _they're_ the ones who want me to do this. I mean, it's not like anyone bothered _asking_ me whether I wanted to fight you or whatever. They brought me into the Wizarding world and just _expected_ me to do this."

"Then allow me to be the firssst," said Voldemort, leaning in just a little closer. "Do you truly wish to fight me, Harry?"

Eyes glowing as green as the fatal Avada Kedavra itself locked onto his crimson slits. "Nope."

"No?"

"No," Harry confirmed. He frowned. "I don't think I'm really cut out to be the Light's Saviour to be honest. I mean, I think I'm kinda dark, actually. I blame the Dursleys. Or, maybe I should blame Dumbledore for leaving me here in the first place. ...Why exactly am I telling you this?"

"The-Boy-Who-Lived, Dark? **Now that is a surprise**," he finished in Parseltongue, fully aware that he had done so, and not at all expecting to be understood.

Harry's frown deepened. **"It's not really **_**that**_** surprising. I mean, just take a good look at me and you'll see."**

Voldemort, for the first time in longer than he could remember, actually started. He stared at the bored looking teen before him, eyes as wide as snake-like slits could go. **"You speak Parseltongue, Harry?"**

**"Yes?" **replied the black haired boy, a look of confusion on his face.

**"How long have you been able to do this?"**

**"Always, I guess. I mean, I didn't know until just before I started my first year, because I accidentally set a snake on my cousin at the zoo. But I found out it was Parseltongue and stuff during my second year, when I stopped a snake Malfoy conjured up from attacking this one student."**

**"I have never heard you speak in this language, Harry," **said Voldemort, now attempting to conceal his rather obvious shock.

Harry shrugged in what he likely thought was a casual manner. **"I've been avoiding doing so, actually."**

**"Why would you do that?"**

Another shrug. **"Cause it scares people? I dunno. I'm tired of people staring at me like I'm some sort of...freak show."**

**"Harry..." **Caught in an unexplainable moment, Voldemort reached out and gently caressed the teen's jaw, wary of his sharp nails. He said nothing, but saw Harry's eyes widen. Harry didn't pull away though, in fact, he seemed to be too shocked to even move, yet there was no fear in his eyes. Unsure of why he had even made the motion in the first place, Voldemort slowly pulled away. **"The Light is filled with foolish and fickle people, isn't it, Harry?" **said the Dark Lord, intent on bringing Harry's attention away from what he had just done.

The green eyed teen yawned tiredly. **"I know. The moment something bad happens, it's my fault, but when they need my help, I'm suddenly their Saviour again." **He scoffed again before yawning once more. **"How stupid..." **His eyes fell shut and seconds later, he was asleep.

Voldemort very nearly smiled at the sight. He was still surprised that the teen could be so...casual around him, but it pleased him nonetheless. He doubted Harry behaved this openly around Dumbledore. Reaching out, he pulled off Harry's glasses and stared down at them. Why was he even wearing these things? Why hadn't he taken a Vision Correcting potion? Most children did, which was why you only ever saw adults wearing glasses in the first place.

Setting the glasses down on the side table where Harry had picked them up from, the snake-like man got to his feet and, with a last look at the peacefully sleeping teen, vanished...

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><p>Tom collapsed onto his bed with a soft sigh. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, lost in thought. <em>Why does Harry know Parseltongue? Only direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin end up with this gift, so how? For that matter, how exactly did this connection between us come to be? <em>

**"You went to see him again, Master?"**

Tom sighed again, not really in the mood to deal with his familiar. **"Yes, Nagini."**

**"And you didn't kill him yet?" **questioned the snake, slithering onto the large bed to curl up on his chest.

**"No." **He reached out automatically and began stroking Nagini's smooth scales. **"He knows Parseltongue, Nagi."**

Nagini gave a hiss of surprise, but seemed to be thinking, just as the Dark Lord was. **"You two can see into each others' minds, right? And sense each others' emotions too?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Then...can't he be like me?"**

The man stared down at the snake on his chest in confusion. **"Like you...?" **

**"Yes, like me. A part of you." **When Tom continued to look confused, Nagini gave the snake equivalent of an exasperated sigh. **"I hold a part of you in me, Tom. Can it not be that the boy does too?"**

**"...A human horcrux," **whispered Tom, finally understanding what his familiar was saying. **"Yes... Yes, that **_**would**_** make sense..." **he trailed off in thought. He had been planning on using Harry's death to make his final horcrux, but as that hadn't worked, he had turned his loyal familiar into one in his stead. Was it possible that the killing curse rebounding sent a piece of his soul into the boy anyway? That wasn't exactly how it worked, but had it occurred?

Harry being his horcrux would explain quite a bit. It could be why they had their mental connection, and why Harry could speak the ancient tongue of serpents as well. But then he frowned as another thought came to him. Why did Harry feel pain when he was near him? If he was a horcrux, then he should be feeling comfortable around him, not in pain. Nagini was his only other living horcrux and she never felt pain, so then why Harry?

Then again, Harry hadn't seemed to be in pain the past few days that Tom had been to see him. Well, not pain caused by his presence at any rate. The pain Harry always felt when near him always seemed to distract him from focusing on the teen too closely. Were those things connected somehow? Did Dumbledore have something to do with this? Tom wouldn't have put it past him.

Tom sighed again, exhaustion building. He needed to speak to Harry again. The man wondered whether Dumbledore had told him about horcruxes yet, or if he even knew about them. He blinked suddenly. If the old man _did_ know, then Tom knew he had to make sure his other horcruxes were safe. He wasn't going to chance anything, especially after the destruction of his diary. Lucius had been punished and forgiven for that, for the loss of the diary was what had helped him regain his sanity-and his original appearance in the first place.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, rather-today, he would check on his other horcruxes, and depending on how long it took, pay Harry another visit. He wanted to confirm the horcrux theory...

**Whew, okay, this is all I have for now. I don't have enough for another chapter, so updates will be slow now while I work on that. I'm open to suggestions and ideas. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


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